After the Grizzlies closed out a 106–101 victory against the Warriors and streamers fell down from the ceiling at FedExForum on Tuesday night, Memphis point guard Ja Morant walked by Steph Curry. As he did, he had a few words for the Golden State star: “We’re going to have some fun.”
Morant revealed the reason for the interaction during his postgame press conference, explaining that all he was doing was dishing back out what Curry had said to him after Game 1.
“Had some friendly words with Steph [Curry]. After Game 1 he came to me and Jaren [Jackson] and said, ‘It’s going to be a battle. We’re going to have some fun.’ I was able to, you know, return that message tonight, saying the same thing,” Morant said of his exchange with Curry, per Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. “I always say this is my favorite matchup, playing against a guy like him, a great talent. It’s going to be a battle.”
Morant had every right to celebrate after Game 2. He scored 47 points in the Grizzlies 106–101 win, joining LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as the only players with multiple 45-point games in the playoffs before turning 23 years old, according to ESPN Stats & Info. He dropped in Memphis’s final 13 points of the night, closing out Golden State as the best player on the court on Tuesday night.
Most importantly, Morant’s performance resulted in the Grizzlies evening up the series against the Warriors. Now tied 1–1, the two teams will head to the Bay Area for the next leg of the Western Conference semifinals.
Time will tell who is having more fun, Morant or Curry, after Game 3 wraps up on Saturday. Tip-off of that game is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
